Grandma & Grandpa Backes' House

When I was a little girl, I used to LOVE going to visit Grandpa Backes at his house in Livermore. The drive from Manteca to Livermore felt like a LONG, never-ending journey when I was just a kid, especially when driving across the Altamont in an old VW bus, but it was always a fun and exciting trek nonetheless. Grandpa's house was on a big court where we could play and ride our bikes freely, and he always greeted us with treats of some sort.....full sized candy bars, cans full of coins that we could roll up and keep for our own, and big, warm, welcoming hugs that smelled of Old Spice. My Grandma Mavis Backes passed away when I was only 5 years old, but I do have some lovely memories of her as well, including her pretty aprons that she wore while baking in the kitchen, her elegant, smooth gray hair, and the sound of the tea kettle going off every afternoon around tea time. In short, I have many fabulous memories of going to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Backes.

Now that I am a mother myself, Zoey gets to have a Grandma and Grandpa Backes of her own! I've been staying out here in Manteca with my parents for the past couple of days, and it has been both a relaxing and a special time for all of us. Not only does my mom get her baby Zoey fix, but Grandma Backes jumps right in to change diapers, help put Zoey down for her naps, respond to baby cries on the monitor, play and sing songs to entertain her, and basically tend to any and all of Zoey's needs. And for me, that means that I get a break from being a mommy 24/7! So overall it's a win-win situation for all of us - my mom gets lots of Grandma time, I have a chance to rest and catch up on emails (and blog posts!), and Zoey has two extra sets of hands around to love and care for her. My dad just loves talking and interacting with Zoey to make her smile, saying over and over "Hi Grandpa!!" as he tickles her belly. And last night we enjoyed a delicious taco dinner together, and then looked at old pictures on the slide projector from my childhood - talk about a walk down memory lane! I am so blessed to have such amazing, loving parents, and Zoey is just as lucky to be able to grow up with Dennis and Deborah Backes as her grandparents.

Coming "home" has always felt so good to me since the day I officially moved out of the house when I was 18 in the summer of 1997. I can come back anytime for a visit and honestly feel like I never left. I am welcomed home with open, loving arms, my parents still cook dinner for me like they did when I was a kid, and now I know I can come here anytime that I need help with Zoey, or simply want to pretend that I am a "kid" myself again. Although I love my other home in Alameda with David, Zoey, and our 4 crazy cats, my parents house will always feel like a sanctuary to me. Because in my book, there really is "no place like home."